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German foreign minister goes full Ukrainian: “territorial integrity,” then armed peacekeepers throughout the Donbass

Tr note: Novorosinform‘s headline, in their story based on this RIA Novosti report, spells out an implication: “Indispensable precondition for installation of peacekeepers — the liquidation of the Donbass Republics”

German Foreign Minister calls for the introduction of armed peacekeepers in Donbass

KYIV, 3 Jan – RIA Novosti. UN peacekeepers must be armed and located throughout the Donbass; Germany and France will work to introduce a “real peacekeeping mission,” German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said at a briefing in Kiev on Wednesday.

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According to Minister Gabriel, it is necessary to introduce UN peacekeepers in the Donbass, but “the restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine must be an indispensable condition.”

“It must be an armed and strong UN peacekeeping mission that is stationed throughout the occupied territory, and not just to protect the OSCE representatives staying on the collision line, otherwise it will be a new frontier,” said the minister, who was broadcast by Ukrainian TV channels.

He assured that Germany, together with France and other partners in the UN Security Council, will work to “introduce a real peacekeeping mission.”

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he supports the idea of sending UN peacekeepers to Ukraine, but it can only be about the function of ensuring the safety of the OSCE monitoring mission staff. At the same time, according to the Russian leader, the peacekeeping contingent should only be on the line of demarcation in the Donbass and on no other territories.

Kiev believes that UN peacekeepers should have a broader mandate and be on the whole territory of the Donbass right up to the border with Russia. Also, Kiev rejects the possibility of direct negotiations with the militias.

The authorities of Ukraine in April 2014 launched a military operation against the LPR and the DPR, which declared independence after a coup d’etat in Ukraine in February 2014. According to the latest UN data, more than 10,000 people have became victims of the conflict.